nails bitten right down, leaving bits of sore red skin visible.
‘Yeah, he can,’ she says. ‘He only talks when he feels completely safe with someone.’
‘Has he ever talked to you, or the Doc?’ I say. I can’t imagine not talking. Words just kind of burst out of my mouth, even when I don’t want them to.
‘No,’ says Lib. ‘We’ve never heard his voice. Ever.’
I think of Sol, hitch-hiking his way down the motorway in total silence. How will he buy atrain ticket in Exeter or get a room in a hostel if he can’t speak? I picture his small dark form curled up on a park bench somewhere, with nothing to eat or drink and my heart begins to ache. I push the window open and take a deep gulp of air.
‘You sure you’re all right?’ says Lib. ‘You’re acting a bit weird.’
‘Fine,’ I say. Then just as she’s leaving the room I blurt it out.
‘Lib,’ I say. My words come out in a great rushing string of babble. ‘I know where Sol has gone only he told me not to tell anyone and now even though I should tell someone I’ve kind of gone past that stage and I know I’m in big trouble but . . .’
Lib is gesturing for me to shut up.
‘Zelah,’ she says, ‘if you know where Sol has gone you have to tell the Doc. Right now. She’s out of her head with worry.’
I follow her out of the room with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
‘For God’s sake you can do that later,’ says Lib as I stop to do my jumps on the top step.
With a superhuman effort I stop jumping and go down to the kitchen. I make a mental note that I need to do ninety-eight more jumps later to make up the complete set.
The Doc is watering her indoor plants and gazing out into the back garden, frowning. The policeman is back and sitting at the table with Josh and Sol’s dad. There’s a photograph of Sol on the table. I catch sight of the dark eyes and olive skin and feel a great whooshing sinking sensation in my stomach.
‘Zelah’s got something to tell you,’ says Lib, launching straight in.
She flaps her hands at me.
Gino’s filmy, tired eyes stare up at me. Josh turns his sleepy gaze upon me. The Doc swivelsround from the kitchen sink with a red plastic watering can in her hand.
‘Go on, tell them,’ hisses Lib.
The policeman licks his finger and ruffles through his notepad to find a clean page.
‘Sol left me a note,’ I say, in a small voice. Then I put my hands up over my face to shield the barrage of questions about to come my way.
Lots of things happen very fast. Sol’s father grabs the note from my hand. He brushes my fingers with his own and I feel sick with panic but the Doc is blocking my passage to the sink.
The policeman scans the note over Gino’s shoulder and then starts to fire off orders into his walkie-talkie as he heads off towards his car.
Gino shakes hands with the Doc and Josh, grabs his jacket and follows the policeman.
I stand by the kitchen table with tears pouring down my face and plopping on to my silver flip-flops.
The Doc gestures for me to sit down.
‘You should have told us straight away,’ she says. Her face is cold and stern behind the glasses. ‘I thought you had more sense than that, Zelah.’
‘I do,’ I say, snorting up snot and feeling around my jeans for a tissue before it drips on my clothes and contaminates them.
‘Here you are, honey,’ says Josh, chucking me a packet. The gesture makes me cry even more.
‘Don’t be too hard on her,’ he says to the Doc. ‘Sol did make her promise not to tell. You know what the kids are like with loyalty.’
The Doc nods in silence and fiddles with her charm bracelet. When she looks at me again, her eyes are kinder.
‘Well, at least you told us in the end,’ she says. ‘I’m sure the police will find Sol now.’
I find Lib waiting for me outside my bedroom.
‘You did the right thing,’ she says. She’s already making off downstairs towards her own room. Lib is spending more and more time closeted away from the
‘Yeah, he can,’ she says. ‘He only talks when he feels completely safe with someone.’
‘Has he ever talked to you, or the Doc?’ I say. I can’t imagine not talking. Words just kind of burst out of my mouth, even when I don’t want them to.
‘No,’ says Lib. ‘We’ve never heard his voice. Ever.’
I think of Sol, hitch-hiking his way down the motorway in total silence. How will he buy atrain ticket in Exeter or get a room in a hostel if he can’t speak? I picture his small dark form curled up on a park bench somewhere, with nothing to eat or drink and my heart begins to ache. I push the window open and take a deep gulp of air.
‘You sure you’re all right?’ says Lib. ‘You’re acting a bit weird.’
‘Fine,’ I say. Then just as she’s leaving the room I blurt it out.
‘Lib,’ I say. My words come out in a great rushing string of babble. ‘I know where Sol has gone only he told me not to tell anyone and now even though I should tell someone I’ve kind of gone past that stage and I know I’m in big trouble but . . .’
Lib is gesturing for me to shut up.
‘Zelah,’ she says, ‘if you know where Sol has gone you have to tell the Doc. Right now. She’s out of her head with worry.’
I follow her out of the room with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
‘For God’s sake you can do that later,’ says Lib as I stop to do my jumps on the top step.
With a superhuman effort I stop jumping and go down to the kitchen. I make a mental note that I need to do ninety-eight more jumps later to make up the complete set.
The Doc is watering her indoor plants and gazing out into the back garden, frowning. The policeman is back and sitting at the table with Josh and Sol’s dad. There’s a photograph of Sol on the table. I catch sight of the dark eyes and olive skin and feel a great whooshing sinking sensation in my stomach.
‘Zelah’s got something to tell you,’ says Lib, launching straight in.
She flaps her hands at me.
Gino’s filmy, tired eyes stare up at me. Josh turns his sleepy gaze upon me. The Doc swivelsround from the kitchen sink with a red plastic watering can in her hand.
‘Go on, tell them,’ hisses Lib.
The policeman licks his finger and ruffles through his notepad to find a clean page.
‘Sol left me a note,’ I say, in a small voice. Then I put my hands up over my face to shield the barrage of questions about to come my way.
Lots of things happen very fast. Sol’s father grabs the note from my hand. He brushes my fingers with his own and I feel sick with panic but the Doc is blocking my passage to the sink.
The policeman scans the note over Gino’s shoulder and then starts to fire off orders into his walkie-talkie as he heads off towards his car.
Gino shakes hands with the Doc and Josh, grabs his jacket and follows the policeman.
I stand by the kitchen table with tears pouring down my face and plopping on to my silver flip-flops.
The Doc gestures for me to sit down.
‘You should have told us straight away,’ she says. Her face is cold and stern behind the glasses. ‘I thought you had more sense than that, Zelah.’
‘I do,’ I say, snorting up snot and feeling around my jeans for a tissue before it drips on my clothes and contaminates them.
‘Here you are, honey,’ says Josh, chucking me a packet. The gesture makes me cry even more.
‘Don’t be too hard on her,’ he says to the Doc. ‘Sol did make her promise not to tell. You know what the kids are like with loyalty.’
The Doc nods in silence and fiddles with her charm bracelet. When she looks at me again, her eyes are kinder.
‘Well, at least you told us in the end,’ she says. ‘I’m sure the police will find Sol now.’
I find Lib waiting for me outside my bedroom.
‘You did the right thing,’ she says. She’s already making off downstairs towards her own room. Lib is spending more and more time closeted away from the
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